UPDATE: Sterne Agee Upgrades Center Bancorp to Buy with $12 Target

David Johnson, Benzinga Staff Writer

February 03, 2012 12:25 PM

Tickers: CNBC, TBV

Sterne Agee raises its rating on Center Bancorp (NASDAQ: CNBC) to Buy from Neutral and raises its price target to $12 following a strong earnings report and the Saddle River acquisition.

Sterne Agee notes, "Following a strong earnings report and a solid acquisition, we are upgrading Center Bancorp, Inc. to Buy from Neutral. On a standalone basis, the company is expected to grow loans at a mid to upper single-digit pace, continue to reduce NPAs and hold expenses tight. As a result, profitability as measured by ROA is expected to move above the 1% level in 2012. Our $12 price target equals 11x our revised 2012 estimate and 1.7x our year-end 2012 tangible book value (TBV) estimate."

CNBC closed at $9.93 a share on Thursday.

Tags: Sterne Agee

Posted in: Analyst Color, Upgrades, Price Target, Intraday Update, Analyst Ratings